Bittersweet
by darkfox360
Summary: It's the usual scenario. Takenaga and Ranmaru are fed up with the amount of rent they have to pay. So they cook up an elaborate scheme to get Takano and Sunako together, in order to finally turn Sunako into a lady. But what if the plan backfires?
1. Beginnings

Chapter one: Beginnings

Takano Kyohei was at the table, waiting for the other boys waiting for his lunch, hoping that it would be fried shrimp. He waited for a few minutes, but only Sunako Nakahara turned up.

Not the most pleasant sight before a meal, he thought.

Suddenly, the most alarming thing happened. It seemed like someone else, with his voice had also occupied his head, and was replying to him.

"_Maybe that's what you're forcing yourself to think. Maybe you're actually kind of glad that you get to be the only one with Sunako, Kyo_."

_What?! Who're you? And who's "Kyo"? And what's this nonsense about being with Sunako alone?_

"_You're Kyo, Kyo. We all know that's what you call yourself in your head. We know it. Because we ARE your head. Don't deny, we know that's what you're thinking."_

_Yeah, whatever. I'm hungry_

"Radiant being. Are you going to eat or not? I have someone to meet, so hurry up and finish so I can wash the dishes." Sunako said. She had been waiting there all the time Kyohei had been having his mental battle.

"What? Who? When? I thought it was impossible for YOU to get a date!" replied Kyohei.

"_Aww, a little protective now, aren't we?"_

_Oi, voice, get out, get out, get OUT_

"No one. Just someone who's always around." Sunako said. She meant that she had a rendezvous with Hiroshi-kun, but he seemed so real to her, she forgot he wasn't a living creature.

"Are you done yet?" Are you done yet? Are you done yet?" chanted Sunako, looking very impatient.

"Stupid girl won't let me eat my shrimp in peace." mumbled Takano.

Finally, he finished and wandered up to his room, feeling slightly confused. Why would Sunako be so excited about a meeting with one of the guys? Did she like one of them? Were they going out?

"_Jealousy!"_

_Shut up. First sign of madness, telling your head to shut up._


	2. A Plan Is Made

Chapter 2: A plan is made

Takenaga Oda was silently standing, watching Takano stuffing his face. He noticed the slight amount of jealousy that Takano showed when Sunako mentioned 'someone else'. He smiled, realizing that if only he could push Takano's feelings a little further, he could solve their rent issues. He walked to his room, thinking about different strategies. Ranmaru was lounging in one of the chairs.

Just then, Yuki walked into the room, talking on his cell phone to Machiko-chan.

"Machiko-chan, of course I'm not seeing anyone else. How could you think that?? Yes, I love you too! I already told you!" wailed Yuki into the phone.

That gave Takenaga an idea. What if he could actually introduce 'someone else' to Sunako, causing Takano to get jealous, and ask her out himself? Then, they'd achieve the landlady's goal of turning Sunako into a lady, and they wouldn't have to pay any rent! Perfect, he thought. But who is this 'someone else'?

He told his plan to Ranmaru and Yuki, who agreed that this would end their problems.

"So who's gonna be 'someone else'?" asked Yuki. "It can't be me or Take-kun, because we've already got girlfriends"

They both stared at Ranmaru, who was busy filing his nails.

"What?" he said. "So I'M supposed to attract SUNAKO??"

"Yes", the other two said together.

"Ah, well, I would probably be the best man for the job, because of my charm, eh, guys?" said Ranmaru.

"Yeah, whatever. You'll do it, then?" asked Takenaga.

"It could cause physical injuries, though" Takenaga added. "Is that ok?"

"I suppose."

"Hooray! Operation Free rent to commence at 3: 30 pm today!" Yuki shouted gleefully. "But it won't hurt anyone's feelings, right?"

"I'm not sure Yuki's understood the concept. He'll just have to wait and watch, then" winked Ranmaru.


	3. IceCream Causes Mayhem

Chapter 3: Ice-cream causes mayhem

Sunako had just spotted an ice-cream truck and ventured out into the _open sunlight,_ to get ice-cream for her and the boys. She thought she would melt, like ice-cream, so she took an umbrella with her. She got the ice-creams and walked back into the mansion.

She went to the fridge, put them in, and turned around, only to see a bright light in front of her. She couldn't even see the person's face because of the light!

_Stupid radiant creatures, shining around everywhere!_

"Sunako" she heard someone say, while the person wrapped their arms around her.

_Can't be Kyohei. He wouldn't do this. And Takenaga and Yuki have girlfriends. Ah. Ranmaru. He'll have a lovely dent in his face._

She mustered up all her strength and was about to punch, but her arm was stopped mid-way.

_Damn, why is he picking on me? I learnt my lesson: I won't venture into the light so often!_

"Sunako, I've given up my playboy ways. Come, Sunako, you know you like me. Am I right?

"Ugh. Get off"

"That's not an answer. Let me influence you…" said Ranmaru. Takenaga gave him a thumbs-up, signifying that Kyohei was entering the room.

Before Sunako could respond, he kissed her. Kyohei stood there, wondering how Sunako was accepting all this from Ranmaru.

_What is he doing??? I don't like this. The radiance is penetrating me! No! I'm melting, I'm MELTING!_

She felt a nosebleed coming along, but she blocked it just in time.

But when Ranmaru didn't release her after a full five minutes, she felt herself getting used to him. Bored, even.

_Whatever. Is he done? I have to go watch The Ring._

After a few more minutes, he let her go. Sunako just stared at him.

Ranmaru couldn't help but blush at how she seemed to accept him immediately. Ranmaru thought he saw her skin glowing. He wondered why this was happening.

"There's more where that came from. I'll be in my room, Suna." winked Ranmaru.

He strolled into his room as if nothing happened. He lay on his bed, pretending to be unaffected by what he had just done. But inside, he was so confused. He had kissed so many other girls, but not a single one had responded so badly. And not a single one had made him think so much about them.

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought. _Am I possibly falling for Sunako? Falling in love is not important to a playboy like me! Snap out of it!!_

The next few days passed by uneventfully. Just the usual things happened. Sunako and Kyohei fighting over ice-cream and chocolate like little kids, Noi coming over, Yuki getting a fright from Sunako's anatomy figures, etc. The only people affected by Ranmaru's kiss were Kyohei and Ranmaru.


	4. Dreaded Exams!

Chapter 4: The dreaded exams

Sunako was in the kitchen when she suddenly remembered that the exams were 3 days away. She quickly ran into her room to see what the first exam was.

_Ugh. Math. I really need help. What am I going to do? OK, no more watching movies for me!_

"Need help, kitten? I was just about to go and study." said a voice from the hallway.

_Oh god, who is that? It better not be Ranmaru, planning to do something to me again. But yeah, I need the help. _

"Yeah, I need help. Just don't come in. I don't want your radiance to bother Hiroshi-kun and Josephine-kun."

"Excellent! We'll have loads of time for – err, I'm mean, we'll learn a lot!"

So Sunako and Ranmaru set off to the study room to practice math together.

"I need help in this, and this, and a bit of this..." said Sunako, pointing at some chapters of the book.

"Do you really think I called you to help you with math?'

"Umm… yes?"

"No, dear, dear Sunako. That's not it. Can't you guess?"

_So he IS going to repeat what he did that day. Oh god, no. What's his problem?? I just needed help!_

"Oh, no. Why are you doing this to me?"

"Sunako, admit it. You like me. Don't you?"

"NO!"

"Admit it"

"I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T!!!!!"

Kyohei appeared at the doorway, carrying his math book and a pencil.

"Sunako. Please come here" he said.

_What? This radiant being is actually being polite to me?_

Sunako excused herself and went out of the room.

"Yes?"

"Umm...Nothing, actually. I was wondering, uhh… whether..."

"Get on with it."

Kyohei turned bright red, dropped everything he was holding, and ran away.

_Well, that was odd. But really, I would much rather be hanging out with Takano than with stupid Ranmaru. Wait, what am I saying? Why would I prefer one radiant being over the other? It's hot and bright today. The heat must have got to me._

Sunako could not concentrate that day. All she could think about was Takano's bizarre reaction. At the end of the lesson, Ranmaru offered to escort her back to her room, and right in front of Kyohei's room, handed her a black rose.

"It reminds me of you, Sunako. Its beauty is hidden beneath a veil of darkness"

"Sure. Whatever. Can you let go of me now?"

He didn't realize that he had started wrapping himself around her while he was reciting his corny pre-planned dialogues.

_How did that happen? _wondered Ranmaru.

_All radiant beings are the same. They're all so confusing! This is why we creatures_ _of the dark must stay away from the creatures of the light. It's dangerous to our health._


	5. Bitterness

Chapter 5: Bitterness

Kyohei was feeling so, so annoyed. With himself, with Ranmaru, with Sunako, with everyone! First, he had just made a fool of himself, and then he saw Sunako and Ranmaru hugging in front of his room.

_Why couldn't they go do that somewhere else? I was trying to study!_

"_Is that really why?"_

_Yeah. They could go make out in Ranmaru's room for all I care. They made me lose my concentration._

"_Face it. You like her."_

_I do NOT! I was just bothered!_

"_Bothered by what?"_

_Shut up!_

"_You like her."_

_I hate it when you're right._

A bunch of hows and whys were piling up in his head. He decided to go for a walk to clear his head.

_How could Sunako accept Ranmaru? Why wasn't she protesting or nose-bleeding?? How could Ranmaru do that? Why did he develop a sudden interest in sunako? My Sunako?_

"_What was that about 'your' Sunako?"_

_NOTHING! What I mean is, umm… _

"_So fight back. Take her for your own. We know that you have more in common with her than Ranmaru does. Go on, Kyo. That playboy is no competition for you!"_

_Maybe you're right, whoever you are. Ranmaru is an idiot. What does he know about Sunako?_

"_What do YOU know about her?"_

_Loads! I know a lot about her! I'm the one who's most like her! And…I think I like her._

"_FINALLY! WE KNEW IT!"_

By this time, he'd reached the supermarket. He went inside to buy some juice.

"Machiko-chan, what will she like? ~Shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping, shopping~", he heard Yuki singing from inside.

"Oi, Yuki, what are you doing here?"

"Shopping! Didn't you hear my song?"

"Of course I did. Anyone within a kilometer radius would hear it. Shopping for what?"

"CHRISTMAS!"

"It's Christmas?"

"2 more days!!! I have about 6 more presents to buy and wrap."

"Oh"

"How's the plan going?"

"What plan?"

"Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell you!"

But Kyohei was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he barely paid any attention to Yuki.

"Oh. Whatever. See you at home, then"

"_You should get her a present."_

_I don't get presents for anyone!_

"_Exactly! That's why you should get presents for once!"_

_It'll look weird if I get it for only her._

"_Get them for the other three as well, then."_

_Oh, all right..._

Kyohei spent the rest of the afternoon picking presents and wrapping paper and ribbons and bows, and cards, which turned out to be a more challenging task than he expected.

_I'll tell her on Christmas. _

"_Under a mistletoe."_

_Eww, no, that's so corny, even Ranmaru wouldn't do it._

"_Are you sure?"_

_Since you're in MY head, aren't you like, not supposed to take decisions for me?_

"_We suppose so, but we enjoy bossing people. Face it, Kyo. We're too much like you. Because we ARE you"_

_Whatever_

"_We'll take that as a yes, then"_

While Kyohei was in the supermarket, Takenaga was busy negotiating with Sunako.

"You get 20 boxes of these chocolates and 3 new anatomy figures, AND 6 horror DVDs to add to your collection. OK?"

Sunako looked as if she was in heaven. Then, she snapped back to reality.

"What's the catch? Why would you just offer me so many…amazing items for absolutely nothing?"

"I need you to not hurt Ranmaru, OK? We're trying to achieve something, so please don't mess it up by hitting him if he… does anything to you. Ok?"

"That's easy. Wait, that's it? Can I go now?"

"Not so fast. Here comes the tough part. You have to kiss him back when he kisses you. Or when he hugs you. Plus, you can't tell him about the deal OK?"

"NO"

"Then no chocolate, or anatomy figures, or DVDs, AND we're telling Oba-san to send you to Africa to live with your parents. "

"I cannot go there. I absolutely can't!"

"Then agree to our terms."

"Ok. I agree"

"Good girl now here, go knock yourself out."

He threw the gifts at her and she caught them and ran into her room to enjoy her new goodies.

* * *

**Author's note: Hey people! Sorry for not updating for a while. Anyway, I **_**finally**_** managed to make this chapter longer than the rest.**

**Please, please, please review!!!!!**


	6. Tis The Season To Be Jolly

Chapter 6: 'Tis the season to be jolly.

Ranmaru entered the living room on Christmas, after lunch. They had all just come back from lunch at a restaurant and Yuki and Takenaga had gone out on dates. That left him, Sunako and Kyohei alone in the house. Kyohei was in the living room, pretending to watch TV, but actually watching Sunako.

_Plan successful,_ he thought

He found Sunako sitting in an armchair, by the fireplace, looking angelic-

_Wait, angelic? Since when does 'angelic' describe Sunako?_ thought Ranmaru

She was knitting a black sweater, possibly for her anatomy doll, with a knitting set that Ranmaru had given to her. She had picked up knitting very quickly, and she could do it as fast as someone who had been knitting all their life.

_She's so skilled and perfect_, he thought. _Whoa, wait, what? Perfect? No way. She could never be perfect. It's the imperfection that makes her so amazing. WHAT AM I SAYING??_

He quietly tiptoed over to her and slid into the armchair with her, amused to see Kyohei looking so annoyed.

He bent down to kiss her. This time, it was not just for the plan. He meant it. He truly did like her.

What amazed him was how she responded. She kissed him back! Sunako Nakahara, the freaky, yet adorable girl, kissed him back!

"Get a room, you two" muttered Takano, from a corner.

Ranmaru spun around. He thought he had heard a hint of…boredom in his voice? So did that mean Kyohei didn't like her?

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"Why would it bother ME?"

"I don't know, you sounded like it bothered you"

Sunako sat there, caught in her little daydreams.

"Shut up, you two. Sandy Claws* will come any moment now, and I don't want him to be frightened off", she suddenly said. She then left the room, probably to prepare for Sandy Claws' visit.

_Sigh. Trust Sunako to interrupt a conversation that could actually get Kyohei to admit that he liked her, _thought Ranmaru. What did she just do? _Oh yeah, she kissed ME, so that means she probably doesn't like Kyohei. But that's not how the plan was supposed to go. But Sunako will turn into a lady even if she goes out with me instead of Kyohei, right? I mean, I'll probably treat her like a girl, unlike Kyohei. Screw the plan, screw Kyohei. I like her, so I get her. Right? Isn't that how it works? Kyohei doesn't like her. He's just a spoiled brat who always wants what he can't have!_

But Ranmaru was wrong. He did not read Kyohei's emotions properly. Just a moment ago, Kyohei was struggling to keep the jealousy and pain out of his voice. Kyohei walked around in circles, trying to plan out exactly what he would say to her.

(Author's note: Switched to Kyohei's thoughts, instead of Ranmaru's.)

_I'll start like this: Sunako, I know we're always fighting like little kids, like when I ate your ice-cream a month ago, or when…_

"_That's lame."_

_Oh god, you're back?_

"_What do you mean? We always live in your head. We're the sensible side of you. And as your sensible side, we strongly advise you to NOT start a confession with a memory of a fight. It'll get her in a bad mood. And you don't want to end up pulverized, do you?"_

_Good point. Ok, ok, how 'bout this one? 'Hey Sunako. What's up? Seen any good movies lately? I feel like watching one. Wanna go watch the second part of The Grudge?'_

_And the when she asks why I would want to watch a movie with her, I'll say 'I like you a lot, that's why.' Then I'll kiss her._

"_Yeah, and then she'll get a massive nosebleed and faint on you. Plus, it's too casual."_

_Then I'll carry her back to her room. What's the big deal? I've done it before. It is NOT too casual. What, do you want me to be like Ranmaru with his flowers and pick-up lines?_

"_Aww, that would be so cute."_

_All that romance would be lame._

"_All girls like romance"_

_Sunako isn't like all girls. She'll probably sucker-punch me for that._

"_Point taken."_

_Okay, I'll go after dinner._

* * *

**Sandy Claws= Santa Claus from The Nightmare Before Christmas**

**Author's Note: I'm going to slightly cross-over the story with Beauty Pop. But not for long. Did I just give away a hint about what the next chapter will be? ^^**

**I completely messed up the characters in this one, didn't I? Especially Sunako's! **


	7. Stage 2, Commence!

Chapter 7: Stage 2, commence!

Takenaga and Yuki had not really gone out with their dates after lunch. Instead, they took a detour and went to a place called Salon de Narumi. Takenaga had heard that it was owned by a man who had a teenage hair-cutting prodigy. The boy, Narumi Shougo and his friends had formed a group called the Scissors Project, more commonly known as S.P.

It was Takenaga's idea to go to them and ask them to change Sunako, to at least make her look like a proper lady. He knew Sunako would absolutely refuse to visit a salon. Oh well. If Mohammed won't come to the mountain, the mountain will come to Mohammed.

"Welcome to Salon de Narumi. How may we help you?" asked the receptionist.

"Umm… Could you get us an appointment with Narumi Shougo and his friends, as soon as possible, please?"

"Friend from school? You're in luck. Narumi Shougo just came back and he is free right now. Go straight, turn right and you'll see his room."

"Thanks."

Takenaga and Yuki walked to Narumi's room. They knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

When they entered the room, they were amazed. There were so many hair style sketches and wigs that Narumi was practicing on.

"Who are you guys?"

"Oh, let us introduce ourselves. I'm Takenaga Oda, and this is Yukinojo Toyama. We know who you are, of course. You're Narumi Shougo, right?"

"Yeah, I am. So, what can I do for you guys?"

"I know this is a bit rude, seeing as we just met, but I need to ask you a favor."

"Let me guess. You need a makeover for a girl, so that she can get the boy she likes to like her back? I get these requests often."

"Not quite, but basically, yes. We need you and your friends to come and change her."

"What do you need it for then, if it's not to get a guy to like her? Anyway, I'm trying to be Japan's number one hairstylist!" said Narumi, in a slightly conceited way.

"He reminds me of Kyohei-kun" Yuki whispered in Takenaga's ear.

"Let me tell you the entire story…if you've got time, that is" said Takenaga.

"Yeah, I've got time. Go on."

And so, Takenaga told Narumi the entire story of how they were to change a scary girl into a lady, and all the things that had happened till now. It took him about 2 hours.

"Wow, after hearing that, I can't refuse. It's a challenge. I'll take it!"

"Awesome. But we're kind of in a hurry. Could you come like, now?"

"Okay. I'll just call Puffyhead, Ochiai, Kei, Iori and Kenichiro. "

Half an hour later, the eight of them arrived at the Nakahara mansion. Takenaga cautiously approached Sunako.

"Sunako, extra chocolates and DVD if you let these people get you a bit… cleaned up, okay?"

"Sure, whatever. Could you do it quickly though? And also, please don't cut my hair short. I have a…someone who likes my hair long. Okay?" Sunako knew that Kyohei liked her hair long, and she also liked it long.

Takenaga was confused. Who was she talking about?

"You heard her, guys. No cutting off her hair."

"Okay. We've had weirder requests."

So they started their work, amazing Takenaga and Yuki with their speed and techniques.

After twenty minutes, Sunako had been beautified. Even Narumi had to admit that she looked quite stunning, as compared to how she looked before.

Then, after thanking the Scissors Project people, Takenaga called Noi.

"Umm… hey. It's me. Listen, Noi, I need a favor. "

"Yes?" replied Noi, a little too eager to help Takenaga.

"Could you please buy Sunako a whole new wardrobe? We'll pay for it, and all. You just have to choose them. I would do it myself, but I'm sure I wouldn't know what's in fashion. You're such a fashion expert, so I think you can handle it, right?" said Takenaga. He knew he was laying the compliments a little thick, but Noi would fall for it. He was sure he heard her swoon on the other end.

"Of course I'll do it! Get ready to see the most fashionable clothes in Japan!"

"Noi-chi, don't over do it. Easy on the wallet, okay? We've got to beg Oba-san to cough up the money for this. But seeing as it's for her _beloved_ Sunako-chan, she won't mind."

"Okay, so fashionable clothes in Sunako's size, but not too expensive. Got it."

"Can you drop them off at around six o'clock today?"

"Yeah, okay."

"So...we're meeting on Friday night, right?"

Another swoon.

"Yes, yes…of course, yes."

"See you then. Bye!"

Takenaga put down the phone and grinned at Yuki.

"You really do know how to manipulate a person who actually likes you." mumbled Yuki.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I'm being selfish. I'm doing it so that we can live peacefully."

"No, you're being mean to people."

"No, actually, I'm being very nice to them. Take Noi for an example."

"Well, yeah, you have to be nice to her, she's your girlfriend."

"Whatever Yuki. You'll understand when you… grow up" said Takenaga, chuckling to himself.

One hour later, Noi arrived, carrying 5 shopping bags, all with designer labels.

"Wow. That was quicker than I expected" said Takenaga, trying to make his voice sound surprised. But actually, he wasn't surprised at all. He knew Noi would do anything for him.

"I went out immediately after the phone call."

"Okay. Now, I have one last favor. You have to get Sunako dressed."

"Are you taking her somewhere?"

"No."

Takenaga then told her the plan about getting Ranmaru to pretend to like Sunako.

"That's not very nice!" exclaimed Noi when she'd heard the entire plan.

"That's what I said, too!" shouted Yuki.

"Well, it's free rent for us if this works. Besides, I'm sick of all the bickering whenever Sunako and Kyohei are in the same room."

After this continued for about ten minutes, Noi decided to start her task.

Half an hour later, Noi appeared, dragging Sunako along.

"Why do I have to parade around in these clothes in front of THEM?" asked Sunako.

No one responded, mostly because they were all frozen in their tracks.

She looked absolutely dazzling, with the combination of the new clothes and beauty treatment.

"Stage two, complete" muttered Takenaga.

* * *

**I know, I know, I've made Takenaga like an evil mastermind, but somehow, I've always thought of him that way.**

**You like it? People who haven't read Beauty Pop, read it! It's the best manga I've read, after Wallflower and Deathnote, of course. The cross-over part is over!**

**And for people who HAVE read Beauty Pop, don't you think that a lot of the characters are kind of similar?**

**Kyohei=Narumi, with the arrogance and all**

**Ranmaru=Iori, with the whole attracting girls thing.**

**Takenaga=Ochiai. Actually, this one's not so true, but whatever. They both have black hair. So there!**

**Yuki=Kei, with the childishness and stuff.**

**Don't you think? **


	8. Blinding Lights

Chapter 8: Blinding lights

Kyohei was pacing the living room, waiting for everyone to come. They had all decided to stay at home for Christmas, instead of going out, but they were allowed to bring whoever they wanted. Takenaga invited Noi to stay over, of course, and Yuki tried to call Machiko, but she was busy, Yuki had to celebrate Christmas without her.

Ranmaru joined Kyohei in the living room a few minutes later.

_I'm going to do it. I'm going to do it. I can do it. I won't be scared._

"_You HAVE to do it. We won't forgive you if you don't, Kyo."_

_What if something goes wrong? What if she melts, like she's always threatening to do? What if…?_

"_Quit worrying! She's JUST Sunako!"_

_If it's "just Sunako', then why did you get me to comb my hair and wear these stupid clothes?_

"_Clothes are important."_

_Whatever._

Takenaga, Noi, Yuki and someone else entered the room.

"Whoah, who's this? Machiko is NOT going to be happy, Yuki."

"She's not mine!" protested Yuki.

_Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. _

"_Stop gaping. Look again, and you'll see who it is."_

"SUNAKO??? What did you do to yourself???"

_Did she always look so amazing? I know she got a different haircut. But it's still long. Good. I like it that way. But what about her skin? Since when was it so flawless? And WOW, where did she get those clothes? She looks way too hot to be Sunako. _

"I TOLD them it was stupid. See, you think so too, right?"

"Uh-umm… no, no. nuh-uh" babbled Kyohei.

"What? Have you ALSO gone crazy, like these people these people holding me captive here?"

"No. Yes. No. I mean, I agree with them. You look great" winked Kyohei, enjoying seeing her blush.

_Aww, look, she's blushing. She looks so, so cute…sigh_.

"No, no, not you too. Ranmaru, don't YOU think this is silly?" said Sunako, a bit desperate by now.

Ranmaru looked up. He could now see what Sunako said about dazzling creatures of light. They really did hurt people's eyes.

"Uh-umm… no, no. nuh-uh" blathered Ranmaru, acting very similar to Kyohei.

"What? Since when did Ranmaru start liking Sunako?" inquired Noi.

"He doesn't like her, does he?" asked Kyohei, a little possessively.

"I might. But you don't like her, do you?" retorted Ranmaru, equally possessive.

"Umm… I might."

"BUT SUNAKO DOESN"T LIKE YOU!" they both shouted at each other at the same time.

"Whoah, whoah, calm down, you two. I see what's going on now!"

"Y-you do?" stuttered Kyohei.

_Damn that stupid Noi, ruining my perfectly planned confession._

"_You confession is not ruined. Look around you. Sunako's gone."_

"Where is she?"

They all looked around. The group had not noticed Sunako's great escape.

Sunako had gone to her room to change into her usual turtle-neck t-shirt and jeans. She hated the new clothes, particularly because of all the attention they drew.

"She's GONE! Thank god she didn't hear that little outburst!" shouted Kyohei joyously.

They all stared at Kyohei. He had just admitted that he liked Sunako twice, in the same 10 minutes. The plan had worked.

_Wow. Wow. Wow. Was that really Sunako? And am I really me? What was that about? I need to get out of here._

"_And tell Sunako how you feel. Right?"_

_Aww, do I have to, in the middle of a breakdown?_

"_Yes."_

Kyohei ran out of the room, to cool off.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Takenaga was celebrating his well-planned success.

"Ranmaru, that was BRILLIANT! You should really try out for the drama club! The emotion, the jealousy, the dialogues, they were all perfect! And you sounded like you meant it!" exclaimed Takenaga.

"That's because I did."

"Seriously, you can stop acting now."

"I'M NOT ACTING."

"WHAT????" they all shouted.

"I really do like her. And I'm not backing out now, now that Kyohei has gotten over denial."

Back in the kitchen, Kyohei was looking for some leftovers to eat. Eating was one of his ways of escaping reality.

_Okay, after this quesadilla, I will go and find Sunako. _

"_Sure, just stuff your face. Now your breath probably smells."_

_Let me eat in peace._

He heard footsteps approaching him. He looked up, to see Sunako watching him disapprovingly.

"Why are you eating NOW?"

"Escaping reality"

"Why?"

_Sigh. Does she not know how beautiful she is?_

"ListenSunaoIkowyou'reickofRnmarutellingyouthis,btIreayreallylikyu." said Kyohei, all in one breath.

"Umm, what? Have you all become mentally retarded today?"

"No, what I mean to say is, I really, really like you, Sunako. I know you think it's only because of the whole transformation thing ,but that's not it. I've been obsessing over you for the past few days. I really couldn't think of anything else for like, three days."

And without giving her time to respond, he bent down and kissed her. As expected, her lips started getting hotter, and she became wide eyed. But Kyohei was…too busy to notice this. With no previous warning, Sunako stepped back. She made an attempt to stop herself, but she couldn't do it on time. Let's just say all that was seen after was massive amounts of redness. And of course, Sunako fainted from the loss of blood.

Kyohei sighed

"How is this ever going to work, with her fainting if I get too close?"

_I could try to make my 'brightness' slightly less. I suppose dressing in darker colors would help. _

Kyohei got to his feet and cleaned the walls and Sunako. He then picked her up so easily, he made it look like it took no effort to carry a 130-pound girl.

_Man, she's heavy for someone who looks so thin!_

"_Hey, wasn't carrying her to her room part of the plan?"_

_Oh yeah, it was._

"_Cool" _

He dropped her on the bed, not so gently, partly because his arms were numb, partly because he thought he felt a nosebleed coming along, too.

Sunako awoke because of the drop.

"Radiant creature-"

"We have NAMES, you know."

"Fine, fine, _Kyohei_, what are you doing in here?"

"You fainted. As usual."

"Why would I just randomly drop down and faint?"

"So you're saying you don't remember what I said or did?"

"I do remember. I just can't figure out why I didn't faint when Ranmaru did that."

"Hmm… Yeah, I wonder why…" said Kyohei, feeling slightly disappointed.

"Well, yeah, about that…"

"Yes?"

"I…also feel the same."

_WHAT? WHAT DID SHE SAY???_

"_Well, you did it. You accomplished it."_

_Are you going to leave now?_

"_No, I live here now."_

And then she ran out of the room, out of the house, for fresh air. Kyohei ran after her, calling for her.

"SUNAKO! WHAT DID YOU SAY?"

"Please, please, leave me alone for some time!"

Hearing this, Kyohei returned to the mansion. On the way, he passed Ranmaru, and he couldn't help but grin at him. He knew that Ranmaru hadn't heard Sunako's confession, and he intended to keep it that way.

"What are YOU smiling about?"

"You got owned."

"When did I get 'owned'?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know about it. Never mind, then…"

Ranmaru tried the whole pinning-to-the-wall thing, but Kyohei was too quick for him. He stuck his tongue out at Ranmaru, and suddenly a thought struck him.

What would happen if he were to follow Sunako?

He followed her secretly, taking care so that she wouldn't notice him. He saw her going into the hedges, and he followed her into a hidden garden. She started talking to herself, muttering very, very softly to herself. He was stunned. This was a side of Sunako he didn't know. The gentle side. The calm side. One of the beautiful sides.

* * *

**Hey guys! So, I was wondering, how many chapters should I have? Like, 15, or more? **

**Review, review, review!**


	9. Sunako's Garden

Chapter 9: Sunako's garden.

Sunako continued running until she reached the tall hedges. Behind these hedges, there was a garden that only her and her friends knew about. Back in the old days, she used to go there almost every day to talk to her friends. And she remembered how they always talked about _him_. The one who had changed Sunako's life, and turned her into what she was now. That pathetic excuse for a boy. How she hated him. Now that she knew she was completely alone, she talked to herself aloud.

"Sunako, have you gone and done it again? It won't be as bad this time. I know him. I do like him. Last time, it was lust, that's all. I didn't really like that idiot. He would have ill-treated me even if he did accept me and I became his girlfriend.

Oh god, no, I hope it won't be a repeat of that incident. But why WOULD it be a repeat? He confessed to ME this time. I didn't say anything! It's Kyohei! I know him, I know him well. He won't do anything. Even if he did, I couldn't possible go any lower than I already am. I'm sorry, Hiroshi-kun, Josephine-kun, I have betrayed you both. I have fallen for a radiant being."

She heard some rustling noises, and she looked around to see if anyone was there.

"Could that be him? Is that him? Did he come behind me, to see where I was going? Kyohei, if it's you, please stop hiding. Come out of the bushes. I don't mind if you heard what I was saying, because I know it's true."

Kyohei flushed to a deep red. She really did like him after all. Wow. He stepped out of the bush he was hiding in.

"Aah, so it was you. Do you have some problem obeying commands, after I expressly told you not to follow me?" Sunako said to him. She didn't say it in a harsh way, though.

Kyohei ignored this particular comment.

"What you said, was that really true?"

"Yes. I just said it was."

"Why don't you faint, or get a nosebleed when Ranmaru kisses you?" asked Kyohei.

"Kyohei, see, I'm not very good at…telling people how I feel. Especially after that horrific incident, with that stupid boy. But I think it's because Ranmaru meant nothing to me. I know this may sound crazy, but I think Takenaga somehow planned all this out. For Ranmaru to bother me, I mean. He probably thought that it would get them free rent somehow."

"Oh, so THAT'S what Yuki meant when he mentioned 'the plan'"

"Yes. And now, I think Ranmaru's gone all weird. "

"He likes you."

"I know."

He leaned towards her.

"And you know I like you?"

"Yes" she whispered.

But what was supposed to be a romantic moment turned into a…not so romantic one. Kyohei was about to move in closer, when he tripped on a small rock, slipped and got a cut on his arm. Sunako transformed into the horror-loving creep she was.

"Blood…blood…"

Kyohei sighed.

_This is gonna be hard._

_That's how all these moments end. we both end up hurt , and then we go home. The end._

"_But at least you know she knows that you like her, and you know that she likes you."_

_Complicated sentence._


	10. Ranmaru's Attempts

Chapter 10: Ranmaru's attempts.

Ranmaru had never experienced actual jealousy. He was always the one who made others feel jealous. And now that the tables were turned, he realized it was not a good feeling. What had Kyohei meant? Did Sunako admit that she liked him? Ranmaru looked up at the sky and sighed.

"Please, please let that not be true."

Ranmaru just didn't get it. Why did he suddenly like Sunako so much? He'd seen women who were much more beautiful, much richer, and more polite. But he'd HAD to go and

…fall in love (?) with Sunako Nakahara?

_Sigh._

_So this is how it's going to be._

But Ranmaru had no idea how to get Sunako to like him, because Kyohei and her were very similar, and there was a good chance that Sunako already liked Kyohei.

_I would NOT like that._

For one, he was sure that he could not use his usual tricks on her.

_This is Sunako, not some regular girl. I can't just be like "If beauty were sunlight, you'd shine from a million light-years away" because she'd just like, punch me or something, because I referred to her as a 'creature of light' or whatever._

After pondering over it for several hours, Ranmaru somehow* came to the conclusion that he would need little-boyish charms to win her over. So he turned to the one little-boyish teenager he knew. That's right. _Ranmaru_ turned to _Yuki_ for help in his love life.

"I don't know. I don't do anything. I just…be myself." Said Yuki, when he was asked for advice.

"Yes, yes, I need to know HOW to act like you."

"I can't help you. I don't know how to act."

"Oi, Yuki, I'm telling you to act like _yourself_, so I can imitate you. I'm not making you act all serious like Takenaga, right? Come on!"

"I don't get it."

"Aw, come on! It doesn't require any effort!"

"Why are so desperate anyway? Is it because of…her?"

"I don't know who you're talking about" said Ranmaru, pretending not to remember his little outburst from the previous day.

"Ok, sure, whatever. But I won't help you unless you tell me why you're being all weird lately" said Yuki.

_Damn, since when is Yuki so mean?_

"Yuki, you're mean" declared Ranmaru.

Yuki was shocked.

"I'm NOT mean!" shouted Yuki.

"Yeah? Then prove it. Help me."

"Get someone else to help you! I don't know how to teach someone to act like me. I don't DO anything, see. Ask Take-kun."

"He won't help me."

Ranmaru had no choice now. H would have to butter up Yuki before he got him to do anything.

"Yuki, he's not as nice, and kind, and friendly, and cool, and …"

_Oops, I'm out of good adjectives_.

"And, and, cute, and friendly (wait, did I say that already?), and helpful" finished Ranmaru.

Yuki became teary-eyed.

"You really think I'm so good?"

"I _know_ that you're that good."

"Perhaps I could help you, Ran-kun."

"Excellent."

And so, the two set off to work, and Yuki struggled to imitate himself. At the end, nothing was accomplished, so Ranmaru finally decided that he would just hang out with Yuki for a few days, and find out how to mimic him.

Days passed, and Ranmaru was feeling more and more desperate. This was never going to work, because as Yuki had mentioned earlier, he really didn't _do_ anything. Also, he seemed to be intimidated by Ranmaru's very presence.

_This is pointless. Why am I even doing this? Oh yeah, because I need little-boyish charm to win over Sunako. Wait, what? How did I jump to __**that**_ _conclusion? Oh god, I just wasted 3 days for nothing. Nice job, Ranmaru. _

"Yuki, thank you very, very much. I've truly learnt a lot from you."

"Does this mean you'll stop following me?" asked Yuki nervously.

"Yes. "

Yuki let out a sigh of relief. He had not at all enjoyed the experience. Ranmaru had watched each of his movements, taking notes in his stupid little notebook. He had observed how Yuki spoke, how he moved, everything. Yuki shuddered just remembering it.

Ranmaru was feeling very, very annoyed with himself, and he was just about to give up, when it struck him.

"Why didn't I think of it before?"

"Think of what? wondered Yuki.

"You'll see."

"I hate it when people say that to me" grumbled Yuki.

___________________________________________________________________

*** By this, I mean that he had noticed how Sunako is always nice to Yuki.**

**Short chapter, I know. Plus, nothing happens. Well, I was thinking, and it seems so unfair that Yuki is never included in any fan fiction, as an important. So I decided to include him for once. And it turned out to be boring. Sorry, people. I'll make the next chapter longer and more interesting.**

**Have any of you noticed how almost every single wallflower fan fiction mentions Kyohei's shrimp obsession at least once? Including mine, of course.**


	11. Plan Number 2, Start!

Chapter 11: Plan number 2, Start!

Sunako Nakahara had recently realized that she liked Takano Kyohei, and that Ranmaru and Kyohei liked her. She was okay with the latter, but Ranmaru?

_He's just some eccentric playboy who took an interest in me merely because of my new looks, or something _thought Sunako, sourly.

She was finding it hard to cope up with having an almost-boyfriend. Especially since this person was Kyohei. He was so bothersome sometimes. If she didn't know better, she would have thought that he only confessed to her to get her to make more food for him.

One day, while she was in her room, watching one of the new DVDs Takenaga gave her, she heard someone enter her room, with an aura of light around them

"Kyohei, why are you here? I'm not going to make you any food right now, okay?" Sunako naturally assumed it was Kyohei, because all the other boys had enough manners to knock before entering.

"Why do you just assume that I'm Kyohei?" said a voice which was definitely not Kyohei's.

_Oh god, it's Ranmaru. _

"What, Ranmaru, what do you want?"

"No need to be so hostile, kitten. I just wanted to show you something."

"What?" asked Sunako, wondering what Ranmaru could possibly interest her with.

"It's a MAGIC trick!" exclaimed Ranmaru, pulling out a 5-foot long chain with handcuffs. As soon as he saw Sunako's expression, he was sure his little scheme worked. She looked ready to float away into her supernatural world.

"Is it…dark magic?"

"It most certainly is, kitten"

"SHOW ME!!!"

"Okay, so this is the trick. I'm going to handcuff myself to someone, and magically escape. Okay?"

_Or I'll 'magically' forget the spell_, thought Ranmaru.

Unfortunately, Sunako was too far off in her alternate dimension to realize that he would chain himself to her.

"Okay!!!" said Sunako. She was almost jumping up and down like a little kid.

"Okay, here I go."

And of course, he chained himself to Sunako.

"What are you doing??? You never said anything about chaining yourself to ME!"

"Well, yeah, you're the only person in the room."

"Okay, then perform your little trick quickly and unchain me. I'm melting already" said Sunako, a bit uninterestedly.

Ranmaru recited his 'spell'.

"Chains that hold us together,

After this moment you shall sever

And release your entwined grip around my arm

Before you cause us any harm"

It was a pathetic rhyme, but Ranmaru had made it up just five minutes ago.

Sunako waited, awed, for the magic to work, and for the handcuffs to break. Nothing happened.

"Wait, why isn't it working?" asked Sunako.

"Well, see, I think I messed up the spell a bit."

"So… get the key."

"I lost it."

Out of nowhere, Ranmaru felt a fist punching his face.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU LOST IT?"

"I misplaced it."

Another punch.

"WELL, FIND IT!"

Ranmaru chuckled to himself.

"Sunako, take this as a golden opportunity for you to spend some time with me."

"WHY WOULD I WANT TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU? I'LL ME-E-E-E-ELT!!!!" screamed Sunako, acting like the Wicked Witch of The West.

"Sweetie, it's about time you realized that you can't MELT if someone who is 'radiant' touches you" said Ranmaru, slightly hurt by the fact that she didn't want to be with him. But what else was expected from Sunako?"

"I can, too! I don't want to demonstrate! Find a hot metal rod, and cut these chains! NOW!"

"I'm afraid that's not possible, said Ranmaru. "You're going to have to spend all your time with ME until I find a replacement key.

And so, after Sunako sulked for some time, she got up to go and make dinner for everyone.

"Get up, radiant creature. I must go make dinner."

"Of course, darling."

Sunako whipped around and glared at him with vampire teeth.

"Shut UP! It's your fault we're chained together."

"Ah, this is so nice. I get to go everywhere with you!" said Ranmaru. He 'accidentally' came a little too close to her face, and Sunako got a massive nosebleed.

"Now look what you did, Baka, how am I supposed to take a bath???" raged Sunako.

"We all have to…compromise some time or the other, Sunako. I think this chain is long enough for me to stand outside the shower while you take a bath."

"NO"

"Well, there's nothing else you can do about it."

So Sunako set off to the bathroom, with Ranmaru trailing behind. She made sure Ranmaru was closing his eyes, and she quickly took off her clothes and jumped into the shower cubicle.

"You didn't peek, did you?"

"Definitely not, my darling" said Ranmaru, trying a little too hard to sound seductive. But he truly had not peeked, because he had already experience two very painful punches, and was not looking forward to a third one.

"I still hate you for this."

"I love you too" muttered Ranmaru.

_Do I really? _

_Yes, I do._

"What was that?" asked Sunako. His voice was not audible over the sound of the shower.

"Nothing. Would you like me to come in there and give you a massage?" asked Ranmaru, jokingly.

"STAY OUT, UNLESS YOU'RE WILLING TO HAVE A MASSIVE SCAR ON YOUR FACE!"

"Whatever you say, my lady."

Sunako was in an extra bad mood. It was all that stupid, stupid, stupid Ranmaru's fault that she had a nosebleed, AND she had to strip in front of him. Well, not in front of him, literally, but it was still an embarrassing incident.

Five minutes later, Sunako quickly hopped into some clean clothes and came out of the shower cubicle.

"You smell very nice" complimented Ranmaru, not realizing how creepy it was to say things like that.

Sunako chose to ignore that compliment. She briskly strode to the kitchen, and on the way, she ran into Kyohei, who had not seen Ranmaru yet.

"Why do you smell so clean?" he asked.

"I just took a bath." said Sunako. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Fried shrimp, of course."

"We had it for lunch. No, I'm thinking carrots would be nice" teased Sunako.

"NO CARRO – Ranmaru, what are you doing here?"

Ranmaru was standing in the shadow, not enjoying the married-couple-like conversation that Kyohei and Sunako were having. Ranmaru held up his arm to show that he was chained to Sunako.

"Why are you both chained together?" asked Kyohei.

"Ranmaru attempted a MAGIC trick, which miserably failed. And now, I'm stuck with him. Could you please, please get a replacement key for us? I think they have them at that one store in – "

"Sorry to interrupt, but I kind of lied to you. There IS no replacement key for this lock."

"WHAT?" shouted Kyohei and Sunako together.

"So we have to stay like this forever?"

"Not forever, unfortunately" said Ranmaru, shamelessly flirting. "Just until the day after tomorrow. We'll go to the blacksmith's and get this chain cut off. All right?"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO SLEEP??"

"We can share."

"Shut UP! NO way in hell that I'll do that. You can sleep on the floor."

Kyohei was enraged. No doubt that Ranmaru did this to get back at him and to get closer to Sunako.

"What about if we put another bed for you a little distance _away_ from Sunako's bed?" suggested Kyohei, stressing on the 'away' part.

"That could work, but I wouldn't prefer it."

"Shut up. You'll do what Kyohei said."

Kyohei was overjoyed. Sunako had sided with HIM, and not with Ranmaru.

Then the two set off to the kitchen, and Sunako started cooking shrimp, again, even though she told Kyohei she wouldn't. Kyohei, determined not to let Ranmaru be alone with Sunako, came into the kitchen, and saw what was on the stove.

"SHRIMP! HOORAY!!!" shouted Kyohei joyously. In a sudden burst of emotion, he ran over to where Sunako stood, stirring the soup and hugged her tightly. He forgot the fact that Ranmaru was standing about 5 feet away. Sunako was surprised, because she had been facing the other way, and had not seen him coming. She gasped and dropped the metal soup spoon on Ranmaru's foot. No one paid attention to his moans of pain.

"You're hugging me because I'm making shrimp? You're that desperate?" laughed Sunako.

"Yes, Sunako, I'm desperate. So, so desperate" replied Kyohei, tightening his grip around her.

"Since you did that, I'm going to stuff them with carrots."

"I don't care" said Kyohei, finally letting go of her. He knew that she wouldn't do it, and even if she did, he wouldn't mind, because Sunako had finally shown that she liked him.

When dinner was ready, and everyone had come to the dining room, Takenaga and Yuki were very surprised to see Ranmaru and Sunako chained together.

"Why are you chained to her, Ranmaru?" asked Takenaga.

_This obsession with Sunako is going too far. I wonder how Sunako is feeling,_ thought Takenaga.

"Long, story. In short, Ranmaru is an idiot" said Sunako, looking absolutely disgusted with Ranmaru.

"Sunako, I'm getting sick of fried shrimp. Can't we have something else for a change?" asked Yuki.

"Yeah, you always make stuff Kyohei likes" said Takenaga, laughing to himself. He had started feeling guilty about his little plan, and so he decided to help Sunako and Kyohei get together properly, as intended in the beginning.

Sunako looked down and blushed.

"Shrimp is good for you. It has a lot of calcium and no fat. Now eat them!" said Sunako, sounding like a mother telling her children to eat their vegetables.

"You're only defending the shrimp because Kyohei likes them. You don't make carrots, because Kyohei doesn't like them" said Ranmaru. He couldn't stop the jealous edge from creeping into his voice.

"Don't be jealous, Ranmaru. Sunako, are you doing this for Kyohei?" asked Takenaga.

"Now, why would I do that?" asked Sunako, sharing a small smile with Kyohei. Rephrase: She had a small smile, while Kyohei was grinning ear to ear, looking like an absolute idiot.

"Hey guys, doesn't school start in a week?" asked Yuki.

"Oh yeah, it does. I'm going to miss these holidays. They were…very eventful" said Ranmaru. He couldn't resist the urge to tease Sunako, just a little bit, even though he knew that she would tell him to shut up.

"Shut up, Ranmaru. I shouldn't even be giving you any food today for what you did."

"You're enjoying it." Ranmaru said slowly. Ranmaru was attempting to hypnotize Sunako into liking him, now that he was sure she liked Kyohei more than her. "I'm much more…experienced, you could say" he continued. A shower of rose petals appeared to fall around him.

"More experienced than who?" Sunako pretended to wonder. Had she really made it that obvious that she liked Kyohei? Or was _he_ making it too obvious?

"You know who I mean" retorted Ranmaru.

"Well, I don't know who, so someone'd better tell me." Said Yuki, completely oblivious to Kyohei, Sunako and Ranmaru's blushing faces.

"Yuki, hush" said Takenaga.

After dinner, all of them cleared the table and helped Sunako wash the dishes, except for Kyohei, who never helped out.

"Why don't you make Kyohei do something?" whined Ranmaru. "You're always partial to him."

Takenaga and Yuki started laughing, Kyohei quickly and picked up a bowl and started scrubbing it furiously and Sunako pretended not to hear the comment.

After dinner, Sunako announced that she was going to her room to watch a movie.

"I'll come too" volunteered Kyohei.

"Kyohei, it's okay, me and Sunako will be very cozy, just the two of us."

"Ranmaru, shut up. He can come if he wants" said Sunako. "I'll need another person to kick him when he gets too close" she whispered to Kyohei. Kyohei laughed, and Ranmaru was trying to figure out what Sunako had told him.

"Can I come too? I feel like watching a mo –" said Yuki, before Takenaga dragged him away saying "We have to, um… finish our homework."

"But it's the middle of the vaca –" started Yuki, but Takenaga put his hand over Yuki's mouth and pulled him away.

"Well, that was odd" said Sunako.

"Whatever. Forget them. What are we watching?" asked Kyohei. They both were completely ignoring Ranmaru, but Ranmaru was not one to be ignored.

"Oi, you two, don't pretend I'm not here" said Ranmaru, trying to sound very hurt.

"How many times must I tell you to shut up? Do you want another punch, Ranmaru?" threatened Sunako.

"You punched him?" asked Kyohei, very amusedly.

"Yeah, I did. He deserved it."

"Nice one" said Kyohei.

The three of them headed to Sunako's room, and Sunako picked out the movie 'Dawn of the Dead'.

"Sunako, I'll be frightened out of my socks, pick another movie" said Ranmaru.

Sunako looked up. "It's either this or 'A Tale of Two Sisters'"

"Neither. Don't you have some nice romantic comedy?" begged Ranmaru. He truly was terrified.

"No, we are watching one of these two."

"Let's watch 'Dawn of The Dead'" said Kyohei.

"Okay."

"See, there you go again, letting Kyohei get his way all the time" sighed Ranmaru.

They started watching the movie, and Ranmaru really was frightened out of his socks, as he had threatened to do.

_Man, this girl's really, really brave to even like this kind of stuff, _thought Ranmaru. _And Kyohei appears to be enjoying it too. And I can't escape, because I chained myself here. Nice job, Ranmaru._

After the movie, Ranmaru was scared to be in the same room as Sunako, with all her creepy room decorations. Kyohei got up and walked towards the door.

"That was a cool movie. We should do this again sometime" said Kyohei hopefully. "Without this retarded person" he added.

"Yeah, maybe" said Sunako, causing Kyohei's heart to do several back flips.

She walked over, stood on her tip-toes and quickly kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks for watching with me, I wouldn't have survived being alone with this perverted git" she whispered to him. Kyohei turned his face very slightly and kissed her properly, and walked off.

"What were you two doing back there?" asked Ranmaru.

Sunako didn't reply, but this time, she wasn't pretending not to hear him. Her head was replaying that incident again and again.

Sunako walked slowly to her bed, climbed on and put the blanket over her head. Ranmaru settled down on his makeshift bed, and turned to face her.

"Sunako, I really do like you. You can't ignore me forever" he added, when she didn't respond.

"Sunako. Are you still awake?"

No response.

_Sigh_

Ranmaru gave up and drifted off into an unpleasant sleep.

______________________________________________________________________

**This is the longest I could manage to make it. Hope you like it!**

**Notice how Sunako stops calling Kyohei "creature of light" or "radiant creature", and how she starts acting more like a normal teenage girl. The next chapter is very short, comparatively. And also, it's the last chapter.**

**Plus, I'm not going to update it immediately, because where's the fun in that? ******


	12. Sweetness

Chapter 12:

As promised, Ranmaru went to get a replacement key two days later. He had had the key with him all along, but he didn't tell Sunako, of course, in fear of getting his face smashed in.

But during the one day in between when they were chained together, Sunako had gotten used to a constant brightness behind her, and her nosebleeds almost completely stopped. She was glad about it, because it meant she could be around Kyohei without fainting, or losing massive amounts of blood. Now that she had admitted her feelings to herself, and to him, she felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. But some of it was still left. She'd have to figure out a way to let down Ranmaru, and she had to prepare for a little dinner date with Kyohei. For the first time in her life, she picked up the telephone and called a friend, to ask for advice.

"Noi, I need help" she said into the phone.

"I'll help you. But with what?"

"You promise you won't tell anyone, not even Takenaga?" she asked nervously.

"I promise. Now tell me!" Noi was the kind of person who had to know all the rumors at school.

"Don't laugh, okay?"

"Get on with it."

"Um…Kyohei and I are kind of dating."

"WHAT??? REALLY? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? TELL ME EVERYTHING!" shouted Noi, forcing Sunako to hold the phone away from her ear.

So Sunako launched into a long description of Ranmaru's stupid trick, and how she had confessed, etc

"No. Way. This is so, so COOL!" squealed Noi. "We could go on double dates!"

"Err…no thanks, Noi. Anyway, what I need help with is, I don't know what to wear for this very 'elegant' dinner date he asked me to. I don't know what to buy. Could you come shopping with me?"

"Sunako, I've been dreaming of this day ever since we met" said Noi, sounding like she was floating a thousand miles away from reality.

"So, you'll come" Come at lunch. We could eat and then go. Okay?"

"Yeah! Always shop on a full stomach, I always say!" said Noi. Sunako was regretting ever asking for Noi's help.

Noi came promptly at lunch. Sunako had made fried shrimp (again) for Kyohei and the others ordered out, because they were so sick of having fried shrimp for every meal.

After lunch, Sunako and Noi headed for the door.

"Where are you two heading off to?" asked Kyohei.

"For a little…ladies' day out. Just a bit of shopping and some salon time" replied Noi.

"Lady?" asked all four boys. Their eyes were swimming with tears. Their mission had been accomplished. Sunako had finally changed into a lady.

"Don't be late!" Kyohei called after Sunako.

"Late for what, Kyohei?" asked Takenaga after the girls had left.

"Date."

"Finally. Took you long enough. So Oba-san was right. Love would change her. Thanks, Kyohei."

"You're to thank, actually, for setting all this up."

"You figured it out?" groaned Takenaga.

"Yeah, from the very beginning" lied Kyohei. He had not noticed anything strange until Sunako pointed it out.

"Ranmaru and I tried so hard to keep it secret!" said Takenaga "It's just that…Ranmaru got a bit sidetracked. Not very professional, eh, Ranmaru?"

Ranmaru smiled. He realized at that moment that it would be pointless to pursue a romantic relationship with Sunako. He held up his imaginary white flag.

"Yeah, it was" said Ranmaru. Luckily, he was not one to let a lost love keep him down for too long. He was already racking his brains for another lady friend to ask out for dinner.

"Kyohei, where are you taking her?" asked Takenaga after Ranmaru had left the room.

"I'm taking her to a dinner-dance place. You know that new one that opened a week ago?"

"But that place is so expensive!"

"I know. I called Oba-san and told her that Sunako had finally turned into a lady, but I was having trouble getting a grand place to take her out. 'Grand' being the key word, of course. She sent over, like, 500,000 Yen almost immediately.

"Looks like she wanted Sunako to be a lady really badly."

"Yeah…Hey, you think Ranmaru's really hurt by all this? I know he liked Sunako too."

"I think he's already over it. He's probably in the living room now, asking some other girl out for dinner."

Indeed he was.

Meanwhile, Sunako was having trouble with makeup. She had no idea that putting on makeup took so much effort.

"Noi, which color do I choose?" holding up two different shades of blushes.

"I would go with that one" said Noi, pointing to the one in Sunako's right hand.

Later, at the dress selection, Noi decided that Sunako would look absolutely stunning in black. She scavenged around the store for a full half an hour before she found the perfect dress for Sunako.

It was actually more of a gown. It was tight fitting till the waist, and from there it flowed endlessly. She pushed Sunako into the changing rooms, and she rushed off to the hair sections to find some curling irons for Sunako.

When Noi returned, Sunako was waiting outside the changing room. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Noi felt very proud of herself. She had captured the right look for Sunako. In this dress, Noi was sure Kyohei wouldn't be able to take her eyes off Sunako all night.

"Oh. My. God! You look awesome! You totally have to buy it! AND it's on 50% discount!!! Oh yeah, and I thought of the perfect hairstyle for you, and I bought some curling irons. Okay?"

"Sure. Can we go home now?"

"Yeah, we're about done."

Half an hour later, Noi and Sunako went to Sunako's room to get her dressed. Noi took almost forty-five minutes to curl Sunako's hair completely. Then, she twisted it into a bun at the back of her head, and let some strands hang loose.

Noi stood back to appreciate her work.

Outside the room, they had a bit of a surprise waiting for them Oba-san was waiting for them. When she saw Sunako in her new clothes, hairstyle and makeup, she jumped up and down several times.

"Sunako-chan! Oh my god, you look amazing! So Kyohei wasn't lying. You really have changed!" she said tearfully." They don't have to pay rent any more, I guess."

Hearing these words, Takenaga, Yuki and Ranmaru rushed into the room.

"AAAAH! NOI, YOU'RE BRILLIANT! YOU'VE DONE IT!" they shouted.

"Well, I've got a helicopter to catch in about five minutes, so buh-bye, you guys!" said Oba-chan,

Later, Kyohei came into the room, wearing a black suit, to see Sunako sitting on a chair, looking like so incredibly amazing, that it wasn't Sunako who had a nosebleed attack this time.

Epilogue

Three years later: Sunako and Kyohei were still going strong, and they were twenty years old now. Sunako was still a horror-loving creepy person, but she could also be a lady if she wanted to.

Sunako, Kyohei, Noi, Takenaga, Yuki, Ranmaru and a couple of other people were sitting at a table.

"Guys, we're playing truth or dare, okay?" asked Takenaga.

Everyone agreed, so they started. After a while, it was Sunako's turn.

"Truth or dare, Sunako?" asked Yuki.

"Hm…Truth" said Sunako.

"Out of all these people at the table, who would you pick to marry?" asked Yuki.

"Yuki, she's obviously going to say Kyohei!!" said everyone, a bit annoyed by Yuki.

"Too late. I pick Kyohei" said Sunako, laughing.

"Then why don't you?" asked Kyohei.

"What?" asked Sunako, a little alarmed by now.

"Sunako, will you marry me?" said Kyohei, pulling a little box out his pocket.

"I thought you'd never ask!" said Sunako, jumping on Kyohei.

The others cheered.

Later that day, Sunako found Ranmaru in a room, all by himself.

"Hey. What's up, Ranmaru?"

"Nothing."

"Well, I just wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For helping us get together. I'm sorry if your feelings got hurt in the process, but you changed me forever."

"No, I don't think I did."

"You did. That one day you handcuffed us together. Remember? That day was like a turning point for me. Thank you so much." Sunako bent down and kissed his cheek very quickly as a sign of gratitude. "I'll convince Kyohei to let you be best man"

As Sunako ran out of the room, Ranmaru realized something.

He was in love with Sunako all over again.

But that's a whole different story…

**END! It's over! **

**Review, please!**

**I know it's a bit of a corny ending, but I like it.**


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